Vintage Base Ball comes to Gladys City

The old-fashioned crack of the baseball bat will be heard at Spindletop-Gladys City Boomtown, on the Lamar University campus, as the museum’s 1860s vintage base ball team, The Beaumont Lumbermen, play an exhibition game on Saturday, April 5, at 10 a.m.

“Beaumont has an incredible baseball heritage dating back to the late nineteenth century,” said event organizer Don Smart. “As regular baseball season begins, it’s a great time to look back at how the game got its start.”

Vintage Base Ball (spelled with two words prior to the 1880s) is played by the rules and customs of the nineteenth century by players, or “ballists,” wearing uniforms and using equipment reproduced according to the originals. Visitors will be able to watch the game as well as participate in a game of catch and take a turn using a vintage baseball bat.

The baseball game is free and open to the public. Regular museum admission will apply. Spindletop-Gladys City Boomtown is located on Hwy. 69 at Jimmy Simmons Blvd. in Beaumont. Plenty of free parking is available. For more information, please call (409) 880-1750 or contact the museum at gladyscityinfo@gmail.com .